Klamath River Basin: Supervisors meet with neighbors to look at options

Wednesday

Oct 2, 2013 at 10:28 AM

Kevin Dickinson

The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors met with the Klamath County Board of Commissioners at the Butte Valley Community Center, Dorris, for a special meeting on Monday, Sept. 30. The meeting's goal was to open a dialogue between the neighboring counties and review the issues surrounding the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA).At the meeting, both boards decided to take the initial steps toward creating a task force to counter the Klamath Basin Task Force, a group they stated does not represent the interests of local residents and businesses.Siskiyou County Counsel Brian Morris noted the Klamath Basin Task Force has three working groups focusing on the costs of power, water supplies and the budget of the KBRA. While the group was supposed to make recommendations on those issues after their Sept. 19 meeting, the deadline was not met and any decisions were pushed back to a later date.Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore) called to create the Klamath Basin Task Force in June. According to his website, Wyden tweeted that the 27-member task force was "the gold standard for collaboration."The boards disagree, noting that neither Siskiyou County nor Klamath County were a part of the discussion."Elected officials are not part of the task force," Klamath commissioner Dennis Linthicum said. "If Trout Unlimited can be at the table, why can't rate payers?"Board members also discussed the unanswered invitation sent to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to visit the Klamath Basin in June, and their belief that the KBRA's aim to remove the Klamath dams stands in opposition to the desires of the local majority."It's very interesting that the state has taken the view that [the dam removal decision] is already done," said Supervisor Grace Bennett.When Supervisor Ed Valenzuela asked what they were going to do, Bennett suggested the establishment of their own task force. She said the new task force should key in on economics and what the counties need to move forward.Based on the comments heard during the meeting, Supervisor Brandon Criss suggested five points of focus of the task force: fisheries, hydropower, agriculture, private property ownership and flood protection."If we don't delve into the science, we don't necessarily need the experts. What we need are the big, large ideas," Linthicum said.Klamath Commissioner Tom Mallams said he wanted to remain optimistic about the Klamath Basin Task Force, pointing out that while it has not produced anything yet, it has not failed either. He added that with their own task force, the board members could champion the Klamath Basin Task Force's decisions should they agree and counter them if they do not.During public comment, Tom Wetter, Jerry Bacigalupi and Rex Cozzalio of the Siskiyou County Water Users Association supported the board members decisions, and Richard Marshall, president of the association, said he applauded the idea of a task force.Morris said he will draft a list of priorities for both boards to review creating the task force. The draft will be presented at the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisor's Oct. 8 meeting. Supervisor Michael Kobseff stated his desire to see the task force react quickly and also suggested the possibility of inviting Modoc County and Jackson County, Ore., into the fold."We are neighbors; we should work together," Valenzuela said.The Klamath Basin Task Force is scheduled to meet again on Oct. 10 in Klamath Falls, Ore.Editor's Note: Sen. Wyden's offices were contacted to comment on this story, but due to the government shut down of Oct. 1, no one was available to take calls.